As the only senior on Oklahoma Bible Academy’s varsity cheer team, Maddy Weatherford carries more than pompons and school spirit. The senior captain helps guide her teammates through a demanding season while balancing school, leadership activities and life outside athletics.
Weatherford said her teammates are a consistent source of motivation.
“My team inspires me. They work hard and have taught me how to be patient and to love others all the time, because you don´t always know what they are going through.”
Her captain’s role extends well beyond leading cheers at games.
“Some of my responsibilities consist of choosing uniforms, bows, shirts, and camp outfits at the beginning of the season, planning and executing pep rallies, creating halftime performances for football and basketball games, creating material for mini cheer camp, making banners for football games, communicating with the team about practice times and game times, planning the cheer banquet in the spring, and coming up with along with teaching tryout material for next year’s cheer team.”
Being the team’s only senior and captain has brought challenges, especially while maintaining her academic and extracurricular commitments.
“On our cheer team, I am the captain. I am the only senior cheerleader, and I hold many responsibilities for our team. The most difficult part of being the only captain and senior is making sure to balance and stay on top of everything. Being captain comes with a lot, and balancing it with school, and outside life can be difficult, but the team is always there to support me and pick up if I slack.”
Outside of cheer, Weatherford is a member of the National Honor Society and OBA’s SPUD leadership team. She also enjoys golfing in her free time.
Her leadership has been shaped by her family and past teammates, including former teammate Rhylee Tucker, who cheered alongside Weatherford beginning in seventh grade.
“I think that my leadership skills came from my parents and the way I was raised. My parents were both in large leadership positions when I was growing up and they taught me how to be a good leader.”
After graduation, Weatherford plans to attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University and study elementary education.
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